New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #42

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Hope you are healing well Norm. 

went skinning yesterday

Isa got back from her family trip to Mexico late last night. When I suggested ice climbing today she looked at me like I had 3 heads.  

We did a pretty long XC ski this morning on our neighbors private trails. He just happens to own two piston bullys.. 

we were done by noon so I thought I would take advantage of the 20f temps and sunshine and meander over to Willoughby.

Thing still very lean but some stuff on the south end is good.  A French party on 20 Below in grade 5 conditions. 

meandering up  Center Tablet

I had to make and anchor to wait for another party to finish

Been climbing on my old X dreams because I found brand new picks for them but even with new picks I like the way my Nomics climb on old picks a bit better... 

No lie,  this is Adrian from NYC and he sounds just like Rocky.. 

somehow the zipper on the pocket that my phone was in came undone. The jacket itself was unzipped and flapping around. When I was waiting my turn for the finish I got a bit chilled and zipped up the jacket only to notice that  the pocket was open and empty...  Kind of a big deal in this day and age.  I found the phone on a snowy ledge about 40m below me.  It still worked fine. By the time I got home however the water that came in through the previously cracked screen was causing sone malfunctions. Hopefully it will dry and be good by tomorrow... 

had to venture out on the lake on my way home

Nice photos Nick. I’ve read that if you place your wet phone is a zip lock with a few desiccant packets that come in some stuff (silica gel), they can help “draw” the moisture out of the electronics. Good luck. 

Bill Lundeenwrote:

Did the Mace jump (one and done). Totally chickened out on Oak Creek Spire. Probably spent nearly an hour trading turns; we both wigged out in the end and rapped down with our tails between our legs. Route still undone…

Did the jump on Oak Creek Spire twice... the second time, I tried to give the lead away, but nobody wanted it.    

Decided to go to the driving range, yeah golf.

4th day in a row of hard climbing Monday to Thursday, with three 5.12s on my 4th day along with a bunch of V3 warmups, getting another friend lead certified and several leads afterwards did me in for a few days. My hands had only just recovered this morning.

Those same muscles that I’ve built for climbing have definitely given me an edge over other golfers. I think I put 6 drives over the 240 yard hill with range balls. My 7i carried to the 155 yard post relatively consistently. Don’t think I’ve done that since my early 40s…and my swings were pretty relaxed.

I’m either going to recommend climbing for ageing golfers or golf for healing old climbers needing an ego boost.  

James Harvey wrote:

Christmas gift from work.

A round at Wynn Golf Course.

Nice present from work!

Did you sell your souls to the CEO to get that? 

This morning in Prather 

Photos of beautiful, warm, rainbows, and climbing/recreating in t-shirts is making me very envious. Ha. We are having one of the best winters in a while over here so I can't complain but more importantly everyone appears to be staying active.

The Sierra is currently receiving a much needed blessing of snow.  

DGoguenwrote:

Photos of beautiful, warm, rainbows, and climbing/recreating in t-shirts is making me very envious. Ha. We are having one of the best winters in a while over here so I can't complain but more importantly everyone appears to be staying active.

 Meanwhile, back to the icebox.

Great picture Dave. Out of curiosity (I'll never climb something like that!!!), what route is it?

I am going to guess A way In The Wilderness? 

Alan Rubinwrote:

Great picture Dave. Out of curiosity (I'll never climb something like that!!!), what route is it?

Yes, it is "Way in the Wilderness" Painted Walls, on the Kanc to the right of the Rainbow Slabs. 

Ward Smithwrote:

Out with the family for a ski today, 35 and sunny!  My 14 year old daughter is listening to Metallica…..

Okay Ward!  Is your daughter secretly the star of Stranger Things???

Is it only me?

She looks so much like "El" (Eleven) in this photo to me!

dragonswrote:

Buck, I do think we worship at the same altar.

I know it's OT, this thread being all about climbing, but could you do a mini trip report? How difficult was this hike? Would you say it's easier when snow-covered, or more difficult than a summer hike? I'm esp curious because Bill and I did Blackhead last fall. It was very steep in one section. We started at the Big Hollow Road trailhead, trended left to go up the Batavia Kill Trail, looped over the Escarpment Trail, thence to the Black Dome Trail (nice view of Black Dome), which goes back to the parking area.

Sorry Dragons!  Just seeing this!

I have been in the true "Church of the God(s)" with the great winter hike up Blackhead on Friday and then Nordic skiing for hours on Saturday and Sunday!

All day yesterday I was in recovery mode but I'm headed back out on the skinny skis in a few hours for a few hours today!

But we spoke offline about it so I think you are tracking all the info you were asking about!

philip bonewrote:

So cool to see Fresh Squeezed ( another Bob Gaines root.  ); we just did a pass through that area not too long ago.  Another friend did as well a couple of weeks later.  I didn't think it got much love.  

I didn't know what I was on. Quite enjoyable.

We followed these fresh and large lion tracks until they led into a dense thicket. Etienne put his nose down to almost every paw print. 

Tired dogs are happy dogs. The forecast is for at least 24 more hours of heavy snow in the mountains. WaaaHoooo!

Daniel Shivelywrote:

We followed these fresh and large lion tracks until they led into a dense thicket. Etienne put his nose down to almost every paw print. 

Tired dogs are happy dogs. The forecast is for at least 24 more hours of heavy snow in the mountains. WaaaHoooo!

Not sure lion tracks are ever anything but large, lol! I did, however, spot cat tracks at City of Rocks one time, and pretty sure it was a bobcat. Bobcats can be surprisingly small cats, especially considering our household friends can include Maine coons. And just big lunkers like our butterball orange cat Soxy, bitd. He pushed 25 pounds!

Wow. Good to see snow, wherever it is. We FINALLY had some precip move in. A lot colder (56 yesterday, 30s tomorrow on). No snow in my part of town, but it was way down our foothills this morning. Not enough, not by a longshot, but better than nuthin.

I'm in the process of headed for some more pt. Got xrays this morning, for the arthritic knees. Pretty much no space between bones, so hey, at least there's not much worry about damaging a meniscus if you don't got any, amirite??

Knees are doing remarkably well, nonetheless. Right one just decided to make noise when I was going up stairs, so I just wanted to be sure I hadn't actually managed to get an injury, somehow. Nope. Still just arthritis.

So, I'll let this buy me some pt sessions, which is, after all, really strength training. And I'll keep after all the rest of it too, hopefully.

Climbing?

Insert giant sigh, here. I literally can't remember the last time I climbed. Anything. Anywhere. More than a year, for sure.

Last season, I did injure myself, spring, actually, with extreme digging, lol! That took out my right shoulder. It was only getting functional again in the fall. So no one let me do anything over at COR, spring or fall. Then we had a somewhat sucked winter. And partners went down, when I was functional.

So. Me is more than ready for it to be spring, and doing stuff outside. I miss climbing, sure, but I REALLY miss outside time. A very gloomy winter.....and not even rain or snow. Ugh.

So I bought 3 pots of forced daffodils from the local greenhouse. That'll have to do, for now.

The maple trees are blooming. Other stuff will be along eventually.

Lori, I'm so glad the blue flowers showed up again this year!

Helen

Old lady Hwrote:

Not sure lion tracks are ever anything but large, lol! I did, however, spot cat tracks at City of Rocks one time, and pretty sure it was a bobcat. Bobcats can be surprisingly small cats, especially considering our household friends can include Maine coons. And just big lunkers like our butterball orange cat Soxy, bitd. He pushed 25 pounds!

Wow. Good to see snow, wherever it is. We FINALLY had some precip move in. A lot colder (56 yesterday, 30s tomorrow on). No snow in my part of town, but it was way down our foothills this morning. Not enough, not by a longshot, but better than nuthin.

I'm in the process of headed for some more pt. Got xrays this morning, for the arthritic knees. Pretty much no space between bones, so hey, at least there's not much worry about damaging a meniscus if you don't got any, amirite??

Knees are doing remarkably well, nonetheless. Right one just decided to make noise when I was going up stairs, so I just wanted to be sure I hadn't actually managed to get an injury, somehow. Nope. Still just arthritis.

So, I'll let this buy me some pt sessions, which is, after all, really strength training. And I'll keep after all the rest of it too, hopefully.

Climbing?

Insert giant sigh, here. I literally can't remember the last time I climbed. Anything. Anywhere. More than a year, for sure.

Last season, I did injure myself, spring, actually, with extreme digging, lol! That took out my right shoulder. It was only getting functional again in the fall. So no one let me do anything over at COR, spring or fall. Then we had a somewhat sucked winter. And partners went down, when I was functional.

So. Me is more than ready for it to be spring, and doing stuff outside. I miss climbing, sure, but I REALLY miss outside time. A very gloomy winter.....and not even rain or snow. Ugh.

So I bought 3 pots of forced daffodils from the local greenhouse. That'll have to do, for now.

The maple trees are blooming. Other stuff will be along eventually.

Lori, I'm so glad the blue flowers showed up again this year!

Helen

That’s true about the cat tracks. We do have some variance in size here though. I recently had a long conversation with our local lion biologist who confirmed more than 20 known lions just around the northern end of our valley. I also had a conversation with a biologist this morning who was conducting a mule deer count. He reported 285 deer in an area that previously was counted at 1000+. He also confirmed that an adult lion will eat a deer every 7-10 days. 

The lion biologist also told me that lions are currently hunting, killing, and eating the wild horses who live along the border of Ca and Nv, north of the White Mountains. 

As far as Bobcats go, during my conversation with the lion biologist, he told me that a Bobcat killed a Sierra Bighorn, just north of us. This was his first experience with a Bobcat killing a Bighorn Sheep. 

He also confirmed that wolves are migrating into our area now too. 

Predators seem to be thriving. 

A band of 9 Sierra Big Horn Sheep spotted during a traverse of the Wheeler Ridge that Denise and I did last year. 

It’s snowing heavily at our home at 5000’. 

Dan I am so happy you and the beloved Sierra are getting snow finally.
We have our share of predators here in NW Wyoming. Wolves, cats, and brown bears. I’ve had encounters with all but fortunately nothing that resulted in harm to either me or to them.
A few memorable moments tho.

A few years ago my wife and I were skiing above our house. It’s not a big run, barely 1000’, but we have worked out some great runs. On one run we were skiing down when my wife let out a loud YELP! Apparently as I skied down I spooked a cat (mt lion) that ran directly in front of her and she almost t-boned it. Luckily it was a miss, but I think they were both quite rattled by it. 

Last fall I was elk hunting. Hiking in to the hills in the dark by headlamp I saw a pair of eyeshine looking at me about 40 yds ahead. I figured it was a deer and kept going forward but the eyes just vanished. I walked another 80 yds or so, got that feeling, and looked back where I had come from and there were the eyes, 25 feet up a tree directly over the trail I had just walked. Cat could have pounced on me at it’s leisure.

Three years ago my neighbors 40 lb Basset Hound got snatched and eaten by a cat with a kitten. Only found the collar and a piece of the skull.

Most mornings with fresh snow I go out and there are cat tracks somewhere near the house.

We coexist just fine. The wolves I’ve gotten used to and don’t worry for myself but they have changed the dynamics around here quite a bit. No more coyotes thats for sure. Grizzlies in my yard I can do without but they seem to come thru when they want and not much you can do about it but be awed.

It’s funny but the one thing we don’t have is rattlesnakes. Those things freak me out. Guess it’s all what you get used to.

Norm Larsonwrote:

Dan I am so happy you and the beloved Sierra are getting snow finally.
We have our share of predators here in NW Wyoming. Wolves, cats, and brown bears. I’ve had encounters with all but fortunately nothing that resulted in harm to either me or to them.
A few memorable moments tho.

A few years ago my wife and I were skiing above our house. It’s not a big run, barely 1000’, but we have worked out some great runs. On one run we were skiing down when my wife let out a loud YELP! Apparently as I skied down I spooked a cat (mt lion) that ran directly in front of her and she almost t-boned it. Luckily it was a miss, but I think they were both quite rattled by it. 

Last fall I was elk hunting. Hiking in to the hills in the dark by headlamp I saw a pair of eyeshine looking at me about 40 yds ahead. I figured it was a deer and kept going forward but the eyes just vanished. I walked another 80 yds or so, got that feeling, and looked back where I had come from and there were the eyes, 25 feet up a tree directly over the trail I just walked. Cat could have pounced on me at it’s leisure.

Three years ago my neighbors 40 lb Basset Hound got snatched and eaten by a cat with a kitten. Only found the collar and a piece of the skull.

Most mornings with fresh snow I go out and there are cat tracks somewhere near the house.

We coexist just fine. The wolves I’ve gotten used to and don’t worry for myself but they have changed the dynamics around here quite a bit. No more coyotes thats for sure. Grizzlies in my yard I can do without but they seem to come thru when they want and not much you can do about it but be awed.

It’s funny but the one thing we don’t have is rattlesnakes. Those things freak me out. Guess it’s all what you get used to.

Good stories! We get along with all of our wild creatures too! We’ve had some neighbors whose dogs got mauled or worse, so we’re careful with Etienne. We did have a very close encounter and a more relaxed encounter with a cat, but Etienne is smart and looks to me instead of pursuing the lion. It’s been kind of sad watching the mule deer herd diminish, but there are factors in play other than predation. The wolves will just add another element to the equation. The cattle ranchers are concerned. It seems kind of crazy, but there are also rumblings about bringing Grizzlies back to the Sierra too. LOL 

I hope that you’re healing well. Cheers!

Wind River Splendor!